Blog

February

Thinking about quitting smoking this winter? As of February 1st 2016, Green Shield Canada is happy to announce that they will be adding Smoking Cessation Programs to all GSC Benefit plans. Broadly considered to be “lifestyle” products, smoking cessation drugs have often been excluded from drug plans. Available to plan members across Canada, and residents in […]

At Beneplan, our favourite time of year is the spring because we have the privilege of distributing dividends to all of our member-owners. First, the dividend amount and audit must be approved by member-owners at the Annual General Meeting. All stake-holders are invited to attend.

Effective January 1st 2016, Beneplan is proud to introduce a new program, designed to help individuals on expensive medications. As the number of Canadians prescribed very expensive medications continues to rise well above the rate of healthcare cost inflation, the insurance industry has done little to shield employers and their employees from these rising costs. At […]

You might have been reading a lot of stories about pharmaceutical companies increasing the price of brand and generic drugs tenfold. None more so perhaps than Martin Shkreli, the “Pharma Bro” and former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, who raised the price of Daraprim, a drug used to treat HIV, by 5000%. But there is more […]

Forget Freedom 55. Canada’s retirement age is on the way up. On average, Canadians are working 3.5 years longer past the retirement age. Due to a whole host of factors such as lifespans and poor performance in financial markets, Canada’s retirement age is already rising. Changes were made to the Old Age Security pension during […]

Chronic pain patients in Canada are poorly managed. A few factors include lack of education regarding pain assessment and treatment, inadequate funding for researching chronic pain and an under-recognition of the problem. Chronic pain is a big problem and is growing as Canadian’s age. At the time of writing, one in five Canadians experience chronic […]

“I lay bricks for half the year, so that I can collect disability and surf for the other half.” It was 2009, and I was standing in shock on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. A sandy-blonde surfer had casually admitted how he scammed the system in order to fund his lifestyle.

Like thousands of Canadians, you are looking forward to your winter break, dreaming of southern destinations of sandy beaches and blue lagoons. While the prospect of a week or two of fun in the sun is something to get excited about, you could bring home huge medical bills. That said, hold off on hitting the […]